Attention Local 600 members: PFRS needs you!
24 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ SEPTEMBER 2018
JIM TOMA
STATE DELEGATE
In the August issue of NJ COPS Magazine, and at our most recent state meeting, State PBA President Pat Colligan detailed the need for members with the proper background and education to submit their interest in becoming a representative on the new PFRS Board. In short, we need the“ right” person, not just“ a great guy” who believes in doing the right thing for COLA and other retired interests. We need a person who not only meets those interests but who also has the education, training and experience needed to participate fully in the management of our retirement system.
Some of the tasks given to this board will be to“ formulate and establish, amend or repeal policies as is necessary, which govern the methods, practices or procedures for investment, reinvestment, purchase, sale or exchange of transactions to be followed by the Division of Investment.”
This person will have a say on hiring a chief investment officer, which is a vital position. The Board of Trustees will have the discretionary authority to“ modify the member contribution rate, cap on creditable compensation, formula for calculation of final compensation, age at which members may be eligible and the benefits for retirement, standards for approval, medical review policies and benefits provided for disability.” I quote these requirements to emphasize the importance of putting forward the right person. This will be a tremendous responsibility, but also a tremendous opportunity. We have so many accomplished retired members, and that person needs to step forward. Please contact the State office c / o Rob Nixon, or if you want to send your interest and / or background to me, James Toma, Local 600 State Delegate, I will forward to the proper authority.
We bit off more than we could chew
On another note, PBA Local 600 has decided after much review to no longer promote or link to the dental program that has been available to our members. The plan is still in place for current members, and we will put contact numbers and website information on our discounts page for current users of the plan and anyone interested in the future. However, for us as a volunteer Local, it has become too costly and cumbersome to coordinate for all members. Those who enrolled will experience no interruption of service, and within the next month we will have the contact info on our website if any new members want to explore the coverage.
In memoriam
All of our members are special and have paved the way for all of us. So when we lose one, it is important to remember his or her contribution. This month, I want to pay tribute to two officers who recently passed:
First, Stanley Matejkowski Jr, who passed away at the age of 92. Stan was a former Seaside Park and Seaside Heights police officer, a past delegate for Local 252 and a life member of local 600. Stan left four daughters and sons-in-laws, 10 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. But other than his family, Stan’ s greatest moments came when he enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 16 in 1942. He was a member of“ I” Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. He fought in the Battle for Guam and then was shipped to Iwo Jima on the second day of that battle. He remembered seeing the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi. While fighting across the island, he was wounded and received the Purple Heart for those injuries. Stan left the service in 1946 but reenlisted in 1948 for another two years. We want to thank Stan’ s family for their dad’ s service and his quiet respect and dignity on how he handled being a member of the“ Greatest Generation.”
In August, we lost Anthony Della Serra, who died at the age of 75. Tony was a Clark police officer and detective for 25 years, and he served in the Navy in the early-to-mid 1960s. And he was a friend, mentor and big brother. There were many people whose lives were touched by Tony; some by his mentoring, some by his leadership and some by his wrath. I was lucky enough to experience all three, sometimes within the same shift. We became friends on my first day as a cop, when I was 21 and he was 36. He taught me too
many things to go into here, but we had a lot of fun along the way. My love and condolences to his entire family, especially his wife Jean, daughter Dena and son Anthony. d
Jim Toma( left) celebrates his wedding with former Clark officer Anthony Della Serra( second from right).”